Surgical Oncology

What is surgical oncology?

Surgical oncology is the surgical specialty for the treatment of cancer patients. Surgical oncology specialties include gynecologic cancer, gastrointestinal cancer or head and neck cancer.

What does a surgical oncologist do?

Surgical oncologists are surgeons with special training in treating and diagnosing cancer, and they use surgery to treat or diagnose cancer by finding and removing tumors in the body. They may order diagnostic testing or imaging before surgery and will work with a pathologist to determine more details about your tumor.

Some minor surgeries can be performed on an outpatient basis in a doctor's office and do not require a hospital stay. Whenever possible, your surgeon will choose less invasive methods before recommending invasive surgical procedures that may require an inpatient hospital stay.

Your surgical oncologist will coordinate with your health care team, which may include your primary care doctor, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, pathologist and more, to safely integrate surgical treatment for your specific form of cancer and to manage your overall care plan. For some patients, surgery is all that is needed. Other patients may also need radiation therapy, chemotherapy or other treatments before or after surgery based on the diagnosis and stage of their cancer.

When would you see a surgical oncologist at Baptist Cancer Center?

If you and your doctor discover a growth or tumor in your body, you may be referred to a surgical oncologist for biopsy. During a biopsy, a small sample of tissue is taken from the growth or tumor and sent to a lab for testing. Most biopsies occur in a doctor’s office and do not require a hospital stay.

If you are diagnosed with cancer at Baptist Cancer Center, a surgical oncologist will be assigned to your care team to assess your condition and determine whether surgical treatment is needed.

Surgical Oncology at Baptist Cancer Center

Through a partnership with Baptist Medical Group, Baptist Cancer Center will give you access to one of the region’s largest dedicated team of experienced surgeons. Our long list of surgical specialists — including breast surgeons at the Memphis Breast Care Clinic, board-certified surgeons at Baptist Medical Group-Oncology Surgical Specialists and Baptist Medical Group-Otolaryngology Specialists — allows Baptist Cancer Center to provide comprehensive care for our patients.

• Services
• Medical Oncology
• Radiation Oncology
• Nutrition
• Nurse Navigator
• Supportive Therapies
• Wound Care
• Head and Neck Cancer
• Abdominal Cancer
• Gynecologic Cancer